Christmas Eve celebrations on Dakota Dream with sailor friends - Hmmm, there seem to be lots of parties in the tropics for some reason!

Aspen at anchor in Ste. Anne, Martinique waiting for the New Year! Yes, this is a drone shot.

Soufriere volcano on St. Lucia - also known as the drive in volcano since you can drive right into the caldera. Yes, it is a dormant volcano that will erupt again in the future. Wonder when that will be!

Drone picture of Rodney Bay, St. Lucia and all the anchored sailboats

Bubbling sulfur springs at the Soufriere volcano on St. Lucia. Maria is with Skip and Kitty from Peace Keeper. The boiling sulfur mud is supposed to be good for you?!?

Pigeon Island, St. Lucia with anchored boats in the background. This was another drone picture where Captain Steve nearly lost the drone because of a slight mis-calculation of how far he could fly away and return safely when flying into the gusty trade winds! Luckily everything turned out ok with 5% battery life remaining.

Rodney Bay Marina, St. Lucia. A very nice place to spend time when not sailing!

Holidays in the Caribbean are a whirlwind of activities. Fireworks light the night sky as restaurants cater to the sailing crowd. Then there are the beach pot lucks and land based buffets to keep everyone well fed and happy.

In the French islands the holiday store closings are brief and not nearly as extensive as the x-British islands. That is a good thing because boats always need much needed parts to keep them working, especially around the holiday season when boats have a tendency to break at the most inopportune times.

Boat hopping for Christmas cheer, rum and meals is the order of the day, instead of sailing during this time of year. Of course during the day there are hikes with cafe stops along the way for everyone to enjoy.

Now it is time to rest and recuperate before sailing off to the next destination among the rainbows and clouds on the horizon.